Vandread: Total War
by CrazySprayer
Summary: Do the conquerors follow the conquered? The Coalition, victors against Earth have secretly continued the Harvest. Many factions are warring for dominance including mysterious new enemies with the Nirvana caught squarely in the middle.
1. Prologue 1

As this is my first story, give me as much constructive criticism as possible. I welcome it.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything least of all Vandread, but I don't think there's much Vandread in this story yet for me to steal.

Year 12 BE_: Light years from the Systems of Mejere and Tarak, the MAF prepares to defend its home world from an immense Harvester fleet._

Strategos Maeglos Anders of the Magellas Armed Forces smirked as she saw the Harvester Warships move forward. She had deployed her forces directly guarding her home world of Magellas. Her fleet of capital ships could easily defeat this latest Earthling probing attack. She issued her orders, "Spread out your fire we don't need unnecessary casualties by allowing them to engage our fighters.

The sensory officer cried out, "Strategos another Harvester fleet has just appeared on our sensors, it was hiding behind the third moon."

"This is Strategos Anders, Admiral Shelney I'm sending forces under your command to engage this new fleet, good luck." Shelney's forces moved into position to engage these new enemies. Anders expected them to do no more than delay the second Earth fleet until the first one could be dealt with.

"Strategos we've taken down the first flagship only 6 remain until we can support Shelney." The Harvesters activated their auxiliary thrusters reaching maximum speed.

"Strategos, enemy ships aren't opening fire; it appears they are intending to ram us. Anders expression turned from one of confidence to one of absolute horror. "All ships take Evasive actions now!" The Harvester warships, loaded with explosives crashed into the Magellas fleet and Anders stood frozen in fear as one collided directly with her flagship.

Shelney's fleet had just engaged the Harvesters when a massive explosion obscured the view of the other battle. He attempted contacting Anders but it was to no avail. "All surviving ships, I'm calling for a full scale retreat, everybody retreat to the planet." Alexis Shelney knew that this was just a matter of procedure. With 90 of the once proud Armed Forces wiped out he knew there was almost no chance of survival. Apparently the Harvesters realized that as well as they surprisingly made no attempt to engage. His soldiers had the same idea, and Shelney even heard some of them speaking about surrendering. He was still in disbelief himself. How could Maeglos Anders, hero of the First Earth War have been defeated so easily by machines? It was unnerving to the new Strategos, but as commander Alexis knew that he had to hide his feelings. His Comm. Officer gave him bad news, "Sensors detected thousands of pods falling towards the Yelneen Plains, what are your orders?"

Shelney cursed, "Form a perimeter around the drop zone with most of the army positioned to defend our major urban zones."

The army moved into position and Shelney knew it was only a matter of time before combat began. The troops were all looking to him for some kind of support in this dark hour. Shelney had no choice but to begin speaking,

"I'm not one for inspirational speaking especially in such a dark time but I beseech you, though we will all shall die this day, do not despair. That is what the Earthlings want, but instead I want you to show to them our true spirit. Let us force them to remember us and our glorious battle through the sheer power of human determination. I want you to die with no regrets, giving every last ounce of your life for the future of the human race showing those bastards our power! I want all of you to know that I will be doing the same!"

A resounding cheer issued forth from the Magellans and they looked from their defense positions to the growing mechanical menace flowing down from space.

Alexis Shelney stood watching as his troops prepared for combat against the attacking machines. The young and invalid had been evacuated from the urban area closest to what would soon be a combat zone, but most of the civilians had elected to stay and fight for their homes and their bodies. Shelney was feeling rather confident that they could repel this first attack when an officer arrived with some bad news.

"Strategos, Sensors have detected several dozen pods headed directly for our current position.

Shelney grabbed a blade in one hand and a disruptor pistol in another and yelled, "Then shoot them out of the sky!"

A wave of gunfire hit the incoming pods but they were too heavily armored for the attack to be of any effect. Voices filled the air as officers ordered their troops to prepare for combat. The pods hit the ground with explosive force knocking the nearest soldiers off their feet. Out emerged the Harvester Drones, spider-shaped machines with razor sharp blades at the ends of their legs, and the battle began. Disrupter fire filled the air cutting many of the Drones off from their remote links and rendering them helpless but they were too fast and soon hit the Magellan battle line. Blood splattered everywhere as the whirring Drone blades ripped Magellans to shreds before they could draw their melee weapons. The steel drone bodies were no match for the Magellans' diamond blades but the drones could cut through Magellan armor, flesh and bone with equal ease. Shelney saw several Drones break through the outer defenses and was forced into combat.

He ran forward and was met by three drones. He took out one with his pistol while another was downed by other disrupter fire the third leaped at him and Shelney was barely able to fend off the buzzing legs, lopping a pair off before stabbing through the main body destroying the automaton. Shelney pulled his sword from the destroyed machine and looked at the carnage around him. Blood and metal scattered the battlefield and as he looked towards the Plains Shelney stared down his doom. Thousands of drones surrounded two enormous structures hundreds of feet tall and armed to the teeth which were both slowly moving towards his position.


	2. Prologue 2

Prologue 2: The Battle of Magellas

Disclaimer: Still not much Vandread though I don't own it

_Two huge harvester battle cubes have spearheaded the harvester assault on Shelney and the Magellans._

The enormous battle cubes moved closer towards the Magellans makeshift wall. Shelney saw his disrupter artillery was having no effect. "The armor is too thick, change the beam frequency!" But it was too late, one box opened its front hatch revealing enormous cannon which incinerated the artillery, wall and dug an enormous trench straight through the city. Shelney, told is communication officers to call for a full retreat into the war-torn city as the drones began to swarm through the gaping hole in the wall. Shelney heard an explosion behind him as he ran and turned to see a pillar of fire where the enemy battle cube once stood. Shelney stared as he saw the markings the bomber squadron overhead, they were Sonorans the enemies of Magellas for the past hundred years.

Shelney had made his way to the rear command post and saw his officers in an intense discussion. "What's going on?" he interrupted. A young Ypo Strategos answered him, "A Sonoran fleet has engaged the Harvesters attacking our planet. Their leader wishes to speak to you, Strategos."

Shelney turned on the view screen and met his Sonoran counterpart, a silver bearded, middle aged man in a military uniform. The Sonoran sneered at Alexis, "Magellan, we sent our entire fleet here to protect you, however we want you to surrender and join the Sonoran Confederacy in return for our aid." Alexis was stunned, Magellas had been at war with the Confederacy for years and now they were being forced to surrender to it or face the wrath of Earth. Shelney realized that there was no choice in the matter.

"We will join the Confederacy but we want full political rights."

"You drive a hard bargain Magellan but we will induct you as a Confederate Planet." Shelney heard another voice over the screen explain to the Sonoran that an immense enemy warship had been detected before he disconnected and so Shelney gave his orders, "Soldiers, we cannot let the Sonorans outdo us over our home planet. Scramble all ships into space! Let's show them what we're made of!"

_In Space over Magellan a lone transport from the independent planet Gaestus has caught up to the Planet Demolisher as it fled the Gasti to destroy Magellan._

Ariston sat nervously preparing for his first combat mission. He had trained for his entire life for this moment along with every other male on Gaestus. That was just the way it was for the Gasti the men were the warriors while the women were everything from leaders to factory workers. Ariston was proud to be among the greatest warriors in all the universe.

Ariston was roused from his thoughts when the ship attached itself to the demolisher. Ambriorix the mission leader gathered the Gasti together for the ritual. Ariston chanted with the others. "Onward men of Gaestus, Sons of brave fathers, raise-up your arms, look bravely forward, without fear for your lives! Always, everything, for our country and people! I will know no fear, feel no pain and only know victory!" Together they each pulled free a metal needle and jabbed it directly into their hearts.

The entrance opened and the seven Gasti ran forward into the enemy ship. Defensive turrets activated firing searing bolts of energy at the Gasti. Ariston ran with his brethren through the ship to the control room, then one man fell, a hole burnt straight through is head. A turret fired directly at Ariston but he was able to block it with his arm feeling nothing as the drugs coursed through his veins. However the Gasti's bodies were beginning to fall through sheer destruction, the man in front of Ariston's armor was pierced and several bolts to the lungs finished him off and others were falling all around him. Ariston made a turn and forced his way through a doorway, he was through, he had reached the control room. Back in the ship's long corridor the delayed bombs connected to the Gastis' life signs began to explode shaking the entire ship. Ariston turned to see if anyone else had made it and saw Ambriorix limp through the doorway bleeding from the dozens of holes in his body. They made their way around to a throne-like control station controlled by a pale, young woman. Ariston heard a faint voice in his mind but he felt the drugs pulse and the voice disappeared. The woman's face tensed with anger and Ariston and the other man were thrown backwards. The other man lost consciousness but Ariston found himself impaled on a pipe. He thought back to the ritual, to his heroic father and all he had learned through his training. The Earthling looked stunned as he pulled himself up from the pipe, blood and intestines gushing from the gaping hole in his stomach, lifted his hand and let fly a small dagger, which made its way directly into the Earthling's heart.

Ariston's sight dimmed and he died with a smile on his face.

Shelney breathed a sigh of relief, the threat to his home world was ended but the war was not over. The Sonorans, Magellans and the Gasti had joined forces against the Earth menace creating the Coalition of Allied Systems known more simply as just the Coalition.


	3. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Vandread, this chapter has some characters from it, just in case I'm stealing a storyline from Brian Herbert too so I don't want to get in trouble.

Year 4 AE: _Sixteen years have passed since the Battle of Magellas and the Coalition has been victorious. Their system-hopping tactics brought them more allies as the freed planet after planet from Earth control eventually reaching the solar system. In a massive battle the Coalition Navy was able to defeat the Harvester- supported Earth fleet and in the face of the earthlings' strange powers Grand Admiral Shelney elected to simply nuke the Earth stations out of existence preserving the lives of his soldiers. The Four years since the Battle of Earth the Coalition has captured the Harvester shipyards, hidden in the Oort cloud as well as expanded into several independent systems which have resisted their influence. 2nd Lieutenant Tors L'shaek has recently arrived at the prison ship Xelghas to deliver a criminal he captured on his patrol and to rest and resupply._

Tors L'shaek awoke in his room on the prison ship Xelghas. It wasn't much the prison staff had given him what basically amounted to a prison cell. Tors checked the time; it was 3:00 am. He wondered why he had woken. Then he heard it, a slight knocking on the outside of his room. Tors grabbed his pistol and prepared to open the door. There was the knocking again. Tors hesitated; it was probably just one of prison staff who would be scared to death to open a cell and find a gun barrel pointed at their head. He slowly opened the door and saw a man fall directly onto him. He was holding a cane in his right hand and had been tapping the door with it. Tors took one look at him and knew what was going on. This prisoner had been tortured. Tors nearly puked at the sorry sight of this man. His face was unrecognizable; scars surrounded his eyes which had been ripped out along with the surrounding skin. Tors looked down towards his arm which was wrapped in some sort of protective plastic and was disgusted. His left arm from the shoulder down had no skin at all. The jailors he had skinned him alive. The Tors helped the man to a sitting position when he began coughing up blood and stray bits of lung. After the fit passed the man spoke. "Tors is that you." Tors jumped up, he knew that voice but it didn't make sense. That voice belonged to Casper Derricks. Derricks and Tors had served together with the 1st Irregulars Attack Squadron, Derricks was his best friend. After Tors was badly wounded during the Battle of Earth, Derricks and the rest of the Irregulars had spearheaded the attack on the Harvester Shipyards in the Oort Cloud. Tors was told that he had died a hero. Tors responded, "Yes it's me, Derricks is that really you."

Derricks coughed again splattering Tors with blood. "Yes, but there's no time. I won't be able to hold out for long. I want you to record this so my message doesn't die with me."

Tors nodded and put on his helmet, looked at Derricks and began to record. Derricks began to speak again, "I am Casper Derricks, I was once a soldier in the Coalition Navy but that is long ago now. I have to tell you what I've witnessed and what I've gone through. After we were victorious over the last Earthlings at the Harvester Shipyards, I and many of my comrades began to attack the shipyards themselves but our superiors would see nothing of that, they wanted the shipyards intact. On those shipyards were tens of thousands of people. The most intact as you see me now and many were much worse. I wanted to end their misery but our superiors would have none of that and transported them all here, to the prison ship Xelghas. They didn't trust me and knew that I wasn't going to get away with it so the sent me and any other objectors along with those the earthlings had taken. Don't you see, the Harvest didn't end with the Earthlings; it's still going on today. Nobody who is sent into these prisons ever comes out. The POWs from the Independent Systems have all been sent here. I don't know why it's happening but I think all of humanity has the right to know, and I hope you can stop it." Derricks began coughing heavily, "Tors they've taken one of my lungs, I can't survive for long now. Go get the message out." Tors heard yelling from the hallways of the prison ship and grabbed his equipment. This was the last straw for Tors. After everything he had done for the Coalition and everything he had lost in the process nothing had changed. It was time for him to act. He whispered goodbye to his dear friend, fired his pistol ran out the door.

_One week after Tors discovers the Coalition's harvest on the pirate vessel Nirvana._

Meia Gisborn, Co-Combat Leader and Commander in training sat in the mess hall sipping on her daily coffee. So much had happened since the victory over the main Harvester fleet. Meia was skeptical of having the Nirvana be a testing ground for cohabilitation of men and women and was happy to learn that both Grand-pa and ma agreed with her. While the crew of the Nirvana picked appropriate men and women for the experiment plans were being made to send the Nirvana to stop the problem at its source. However this all came at a cost. Ezra remained behind as to not risk orphaning Kahlua and was elected as director of the cohabilitation project. While this was expected neither Meia nor the rest of the crew had any idea that their commander was going to leave them. The leadership of each planet agreed that BC, being the only human having strong knowledge of both Tarak and Mejere should be the ambassador between the two planets. What surprised Meia even more was that she one of the two nominated by Magnos' pirates to replace BC. She and Valore were in the midst of a competition that neither of them wanted to win; they just loved flying too much. Magnos had told them that whoever commanded better would be able to choose their position but while Valore was fooled Meia saw through the trick she knew that Magnos would pick whoever was best for the job and so Meia decided she would do her best.

After almost a month since they last saw combat with Harvesters all the pilots were having trouble entertaining themselves and Meia was using the simulator when she was called to the bridge. The ship's sensors had detected energy signatures in a massive ice cloud just ahead and everybody was preparing for combat. Meia took her position next to the captain and watched with a hint of jealousy as Valore led the Dread team out of the hanger. She started giving orders when the captain spoke to her, "Meia I know how much you want to be out there but I need you right here by my side. You know I won't be here forever." Meia was so stunned that she stuttered when Misty (who replaced Ezra) asked if she wanted to receive communications from the ships in the cloud. Meia looked towards the screen towards the leader of the unknown craft. The transmission was fuzzy but she could see a man, wearing a grey and black flight suit complete with a full helmet.

He spoke to the Nirvana's bridge but interference blocked his message, "ThisL'shaek, my friends resupply and rearm Harvest."

Meia looked toward the captain for silent confirmation and gave her orders, "Dread Team, escort the unknown ships into the Nirvana, stay alert for a possible ambush in the cloud. There was no ambush, and as the reg ship and several dreads towed the fueless craft to the Nirvana Meia went down to meet the new guests.


	4. Chapter 2

Disclaimer I don't own Vandread.

Come on Write something about my shitty story.

_On the Nirvana Immediately After Tors' Rescue_

Hibiki looked across the hallway towards Bart and exchanged a knowing nod. The trap was set. Bart had realized that while he and Hibiki had often ended up in awkward situations with the women Duelo had been completely safe. Now their long minutes of planning would finally pay off. The price had been high. Bart had convinced Jura that Hibiki would give her a baby which an acthe had no intention of carrying out. Hibiki, nervously biting his fingernails followed Duello's movements from his concealed nook. Bart observed Jura approaching down a different corridor. They were about to meet when the two conspirators pulled out their tripwire. Duelo stumbled right into Jura's chest and Hibiki couldn't hold his cry of triumph back. Jura saw him and gave chase while Duelo simply dusted himself off and began walking off. Bart revealed himself, "How can you be so lucky nothing bad ever happens to you." Duelo didn't respond as Bart continued to whine about the hardships of dealing with women.

Jura had just about caught up to Hibiki when Meia's voice came over the loudspeaker ordering the medical crew to docking bay. The chase immediately stopped as the two wandered to the docking bay to see what all the fuss was about.

_In the Docking Bay_

As soon as he reached the docking bay Hibiki was greeted by a loud "Mister Alien" and with no time to respond found himself trapped in Dita's hug. Behind Dita four strange craft were in the docking bay. Two were exactly the same, tan, cones with six small wings all around the base. The top of the cone was cut off apparently housing some sort of weapon on the inside while the engines were at the back. Duelo and Paiway were escorting somebody away on a stretcher while a young girl stood crying over it. The third craft was an enormous mech-type nearly the size of the vandreads while the fourth ship was a strange-looking metal craft covered in small holes. It was shaped like an inverted hour glass, with a thick round center which grew skinnier towards the ends. All four were covered with ice and battle wounds, it was a wonder they had held together all this time. Two men stood in the center of the room while most of the Nirvana's crew stared at them. One was wearing a black military flight suit and helmet with a large silver eagle emblazoned on his torso while the other looked like a fugitive with long hair, a beard and a tattered prison uniform. Meia walked forward telling the first man, "Your friend is in medical right now, the doctor says its hypothermia." He responded, "Jav is a tough kid he'll get through it." The girl ran over, "My brother, is my brother okay, please tell me he's alright."

"Have full trust in our medical crew, I've benefited from their skill more times than I can count."

The first man spoke again, "Thanks for saving us but I have to ask, who are you and why did you do it?"

"We are on an official government mission from the planets of Mejere and Tarak, we were pursuing defeated harvesters back to Earth to find the planet."

"Harvesters? Earth, you're a little late. The war ended almost five years ago."

Meia looked incredulously at the strange man "What war? We defeated the Harvester fleet just over a year ago and have been following the survivors ever since."

"It doesn't matter, we can fill you in later, but I must speak to your captain I have very important information."

Hibiki seeing the man finish his conversation with Meia ran over to him yelling, "I'm Hibiki Tokai and its great to have some more men aboard this ship." Dita ran after him after a yelp of "Mr. Alien" and stopped just before colliding into the strange man. She asked the man his name to which he responded, "Tors". "Well, I'm Dita, goodbye Tors" responded the girl and she ran off to meet the other man who was sulking next to one of the new ships. Hibiki gave chase yelling, "Tors, you can call him by his name why am I always Mr. Alien!"

Tors walked away muttering something about kids when he was called over by the cyan-haired woman who had spoken to him earlier. She and a tan, redhead he recognized from one of the rescue ships flanked a much older woman who used a cane for support. As he walked up to them the older woman spoke, "You must be the man that Meia spoke of. She said you wanted to see me." Tors nodded to the girl with the strange eye gear assuming she was Meia and introduced himself. "I am Tors L'shaek I am… or was an officer for the Coalition until very recently." The captain spoke again, "Does this have anything to do with your recent flight from civilization?"

"Yes it does and that is why I wanted to speak to you, I'm correct in assuming you are the captain."

"Yes I am captain Magnos Vivan and these are my seconds in command, Meia and Valore." Tors finally removed his helmet revealing a face that would have been handsome but for the numerous scars.

"Captain Vivan, my comrades and I are now fugitives from the Coalition and we need passage through their territory to a safehaven. We will pay you handsomely for both the rescue and our travel once reach our destination if you agree." Magnos considered the proposition. "I'm very reluctant to take sides in this. We are from Mejere, a planet very far from this Coalition…." Tors answered as if he was expecting this very question. "Don't worry I have some very convincing evidence, once you see it I'm sure you'll support our cause." Suddenly an alarm siren rang and a message came from the bridge. Some cube-types had been detected just inside the ice-cloud. Meia took control immediately ordering Valore to scramble the dreads while she and the captain ran to the bridge. Down in Reg spirits were high and Gasco didn't even have to remind anyone to smile. The Nirvana was back in business.


	5. Chapter 3

I would proofread these but I'm too lazy.

Chapter Numba Thrizee

On the Nirvana's bridge Tors watched Meia take command. "Bart, take the ship just outside the cloud, Jura and Barnette your dread teams should guard the Nirvana, Valore you take Vandread Dita into the cloud and destroy any hostile forces."

The dreads blasted away with a "roger" and the battle was underway. Jura and Barnette flew to engage the first group of cubes that was attacking the Nirvana. Barnette let loose a salvo of missiles destroying several but one was headed right towards her. "Jura!" She screamed and Jura's red dread came to the rescue, blue bolts of light destroying the cube before it could bring its weapons to bear. "Be careful Barnette" Jura playfully scolded her but a massive explosion and a scream from Bart ended all semblance of an easy victory.

Back on the Bridge Meia was confronting Tors. "You said the war was already over but we're here fighting harvesters, what is going on!" Tors stood thinking for a moment his handing stroking the stubble on his unshaven face and answered, "It must be a pocket left over from the war, but I haven't heard of one of those being spotted in over.." Tors stopped suddenly looking out as a cube came hurtling towards the Nirvana. "Take Cover!" he screamed by instinct and dove to the ground as the resulting explosion rocked the ship. Any attempts by Meia to take command were drowned out by Bart's cries of pain and stream of profanities directed at Jura and Barnette. Meia offered her hand to Tors who was still on the ground and helped pull him to his feet. "How long have the harvesters been using suicide tactics?" she asked. "For as long as I've been part of the Coalition but I was rescued from an inner system by that point the earthlings were losing the war and decided that killing us was more important than harvesting us. But why does that surprise you?" A look of realization passed over Tors' face and Meia yelled over the intercom pulling back all ships. Misty gave bad news, "there's some interference from the cloud, I can't contact anyone inside." There was a flash of light inside of the cloud and out came a harvester pursued by the Vandread. Hibiki blasted it with the vandread's cannons but before he could get back to action another harvester came slamming into the back of the Vandread breaking it up. Taking advantage of their appearance Meia called to them "Hibiki, Dita what is going on in there?"

Hibiki's face had an expression that nobody on the Nirvana was used to, one of helplessness. He answered slowly, "There were dozens of them, waiting for us. I saw two dreads go down but I don't know who." Hibiki slammed his fist into his control panel and lowered his head while Dita was sobbing silently. Meia didn't know what to do, she felt as helpless as the pilots so the captain took command herself.

"There is a time to grieve but it is not now. Dita, you and Barnette guard the Nirvana while Vandread Jura searchers for survivors."

"You want us to go back in there" Jura started to complain but the somber looks of her crewmates quieted her.

"Be brave, and come back" Barnette called out to Jura as the Vandread disappeared into the cloud.

On the bridge everyone sat waiting, biting at their fingernails in anticipation for the Vandread's return. Tors felt something strange in the back of his head, like a little nudge. He didn't know what to make of it but it kept on bothering him. "What is going on?" Tors thought to himself and Pyoro floated up from the garden bellow, eyes pupil less and said, "Feel the call." Everyone turned to look at him but any curiosity about Pyoro ended when the Vandread burst from the cloud carrying four dreads within its shield. The Vandread flew by Dita and Barnette who fired everything they had into the kamikazes giving chase and the crew of the Nirvana shared a collective sigh .Then Valore broke out of the cloud with more enemies behind her and the battle began once again the dreads weaving through the harvesters knowing that one touch could mean the end. On the bridge Meia contacted Valore's ship. The view screen came up fuzzy but there was no mistaking what was before them. Valore lay dead, leaning back in her seat. She was ripped in two and coming right out of the middle of her was a silver machine. Meia turned off the screen and nearly collapsed on the floor with nausea and Misty and Celtic puked but she was able to bring herself to her feet and scream to the pilots, "Valore is dead, they have control of her ship!"

Valore's ship was slowly approaching Vandread Jura and the rescued fighters when Meia screamed her warning over the intercom. They didn't know what to think when the dread opened fire. Hibiki and Jura spun away but the dreads weren't so lucky. One exploded in a massive fireball while another spun out of control an engine destroyed.

Tors stood pacing by his machine in the docking bay. "What am I getting into?" he thought. "I have no idea how to use this thing. After stealing it from the prison I was running on full instinct alone and the only reason I'm not dead is because of Jav and Rachel." The explosion interrupted his thoughts and he once again felt a nudge in the back of his head, this time escalating until it became a searing pain. "Fuck it" he softly cursed and sighed as he climbed into the cockpit flew out into the battle beyond.


End file.
